Flashback: Close Hatches beats stellar field in 2014 Ogden Phipps

There they were, half a dozen fillies and mares, straining toward the finish line in the $1 million Ogden Phipps (G1) at Belmont Park. With an eighth of a mile remaining, five of them were spread across the track with less than two lengths between them, vying for victory on an unforgettable day with 102,199 fans in attendance.

The date was June 7, 2014. The main attraction of the afternoon was the Belmont Stakes (G1), in which fan favorite California Chrome would conduct an ultimately unsuccessful bid for Triple Crown glory. But while the day’s feature race ended in disappointment, the Ogden Phipps was as thrilling a showdown as fans could ever hope to see.

Normally handicappers consider a driving finish between five runners to be the mark of a weak field. As the theory goes, it’s unlikely for such a large number of horses to turn in almost equally top performances on the same afternoon.

But the 2014 Ogden Phipps was an exception to the general rule. As the finish line approached, and the margins between the leaders grew smaller and smaller, it was clear that racing fans were witnessing an extraordinary battle between a generation of elite fillies and mares.

Consider the accomplishments of the half-dozen participants. In order of how they finished, the Ogden Phipps field contained …

… Close Hatches, runner-up in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Distaff and winner of the Cotillion (G1) and Mother Goose (G1) as a sophomore. She entered the Ogden Phipps fresh off victories in the Azeri (G2) and Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) and later won the Personal Ensign (G1), sufficient to earn an Eclipse Award as the champion older dirt mare of 2014. In the Ogden Phipps, she led all the way to win by a head over …

… Princess of Sylmar, the fleet filly who rattled off victories in the 2013 Kentucky Oaks, Coaching Club American Oaks (G1), Alabama (G1) and Beldame Invitational (G1) during a stellar 3-year-old campaign. After kicking off 2014 with a victory in Aqueduct’s Cat Cay Stakes, Princess of Sylmar ran a gallant race in the Ogden Phipps, falling just short of victory while gaining the runner-up spot by a neck over …

… Antipathy, a late-maturing daughter of A.P. Indy making her stakes debut. Overlooked in the wagering at 30-1, Antipathy promptly proved her third-place effort was no fluke by returning to win the Shuvee Handicap (G3) at Saratoga. Still, Antipathy might have struggled to finish in the Ogden Phipps trifecta if not for an injury suffered by …

… Beholder, who would eventually retire with a spectacular resume containing 11 Grade 1 wins, four division championships, $6,156,600 in earnings, two triumphs in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. In the Ogden Phipps, Beholder suffered a significant cut to her pastern, but she still managed to finish just a length behind Close Hatches while stemming off a late challenge from …

… Belle Gallantey, a former claimer on the rise. One month after the Ogden Phipps, Belle Gallantey upset Princess of Sylmar in the Delaware Handicap (G1), and later in the season she romped to an 8 1/4-length victory in the Beldame (G1). Though she finished fifth in the Ogden Phipps, Belle Gallantey was only beaten 1 3/4 lengths by Close Hatches while pulling 13 1/4 lengths clear of …

… Classic Point, a graded stakes-placed sprinter who went on to claim the 2014 Go For Wand Handicap (G3) and 2015 Inside Information Stakes (G3) during a productive winter campaign.

The result of this high-class matchup was epic. Close Hatches won the day, hanging on desperately after carving out fast fractions of :22.55, :45.02 and 1:09.38, but the outcome could have gone many ways. Princess of Sylmar was flying at the finish, Antipathy needed to find just a little bit more, and Beholder — injured and all — might have prevailed if not for a wide trip. The snappy final time of 1:40.55 was a testament to the quality of the race.

By the time these six stellar fillies and mares completed their racing careers, they had won 56 races, 28 graded stakes races, 22 Grade 1 events, five Eclipse Awards, three Breeders’ Cup races and $13,042,968.

Definitely not a weak field.

J. Keeler Johnson is a writer, videographer, handicapper, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite. You can follow him on Twitter at @J_Keelerman.